Most people fly into Faro and leave within the hour, heading straight for Lagos, Albufeira, or one of the other Algarve resort towns. I did that myself the first time. It wasn’t until a delayed connection forced me to spend an unplanned night there that I actually looked at the city instead of just passing through its airport. I’ve since gone back twice on purpose, and I think Faro gets dismissed a lot more than it deserves.
The city itself is small, built around a walled old town and a marina that opens out toward the Ria Formosa, a lagoon system of barrier islands, salt marshes, and channels that stretches along much of the eastern Algarve coast. That’s really Faro’s main card: it’s less about the town itself and more about being the gateway to one of the most distinctive natural landscapes in Portugal. Boats leave constantly from the marina out to islands like Ilha Deserta and Ilha da Culatra, and those trips ended up being the highlight of both of my proper visits.
So is Faro worth visiting, or is it really just an airport with a old town attached, as some guides suggest? Having now spent real time there rather than just transiting through, I think that framing undersells it. It’s not going to compete with Lisbon or Porto for depth, but as a quieter base for exploring the Ria Formosa and the eastern Algarve, it earns more credit than it gets. Here’s what I found across three visits, including that first accidental one.
Pros – Reasons Faro is Worth Visiting
1. The Ria Formosa Is Unlike Anywhere Else in Portugal
This lagoon system, protected as a natural park, is the reason I keep coming back. Boat tours from Faro marina wind through channels lined with flamingos, herons, and fiddler crabs, out toward barrier islands with genuinely empty beaches. On my second trip, I took a smaller group tour that stopped to let us walk across a sandbar with almost no one else in sight, something I haven’t found anywhere else on the Algarve coast.
2. Ilha Deserta Lives Up to Its Name
Reachable only by boat, Ilha Deserta is one of the most secluded beaches I’ve been to in Portugal. There’s a single restaurant on the island and long stretches of dune and sand with barely another visitor even in July. I’d budget half a day for the return boat trip and time there; it’s slower-paced than the town beaches near Lagos or Albufeira, and that’s exactly the appeal.
3. The Old Town Is Small But Genuinely Charming
Faro’s walled old town, Cidade Velha, surprised me on that first accidental visit. Orange trees line the small squares, the cathedral courtyard is quiet even in peak season, and storks nest on rooftops and church towers throughout the city, which is a strange but memorable detail once you notice how many there are. It’s compact enough to see properly in half a day, unlike the sprawling historic centres in Lisbon or Porto.
4. It’s a Genuinely Local Algarve Experience
Unlike Albufeira or parts of Lagos, Faro isn’t built primarily around foreign tourists. It’s a working regional capital with its own university, and daily life continues around visitors rather than being shaped for them. I found restaurant prices lower and menus less English-translated than in the bigger resort towns, which I actually preferred, even if it meant a bit more guesswork ordering food.
5. It’s the Best Base for Flights In and Out of the Algarve
Faro Airport is the main international gateway to the region, and staying a night or two here at the start or end of a trip cuts down on unnecessary transfers. On my most recent trip, I flew in, spent a night in Faro, then took the train onward to Lagos rather than doing a longer, more tiring transfer straight from the airport, and it made the first day of the trip much less stressful.
6. The Birdwatching Is Excellent, Even for Non-Birders
I wouldn’t call myself a birdwatcher, but the Ria Formosa is home to flamingos, purple herons, and a wide range of migratory species, and even a casual boat tour gives you a good chance of seeing several up close. A guide on one of my tours pointed out details about the flamingos’ feeding patterns that I still remember, which says something about how good the explanation was, given how little I usually retain from wildlife tours.
7. It’s Noticeably Cheaper Than the Western Algarve Resorts
Accommodation, food, and boat tours all came in cheaper in Faro than what I paid in Lagos or Albufeira on comparable trips. A full seafood lunch at a restaurant just off the marina cost less than a similar meal near the beach in Lagos, and that value held up across all three of my visits, not just an off-season fluke.
Cons – Things to Consider Before Visiting Faro
1. The Town Beaches Aren’t Great, and You Need a Boat for the Good Ones
Faro itself doesn’t have strong beaches directly in town. Praia de Faro, connected by a short bridge, is decent but not exceptional, and the real standout beaches (Ilha Deserta, Ilha da Culatra) require a boat trip to reach. That’s not necessarily a downside if you enjoy the boat rides, which I did, but it does mean beach access here takes more planning than a resort town where you can walk straight from your hotel to the sand.
2. There’s Genuinely Not Much to Do in a Few Days
I stretched a visit to three days once and ran out of new things to do by the afternoon of day two, outside of repeat boat trips. Faro works best as a one- or two-night stop, either at the start or end of a longer Algarve trip, rather than a standalone multi-day destination. If you’re looking for a city with a lot of depth to fill a week, this isn’t it.
3. Airport Noise and Traffic Are Noticeable in Parts of Town
Because the airport sits close to the city, some areas, particularly near Praia de Faro, get regular flight noise overhead. It wasn’t a major issue in the old town itself, but it’s worth choosing your accommodation with that in mind if you’re sensitive to noise, especially given how frequent flights get during peak summer months.
Things to Do in Faro
- Take a boat tour of the Ria Formosa – The best way to see the lagoon’s channels, birdlife, and barrier islands properly.
- Visit Ilha Deserta – A short boat ride out to one of the most secluded beaches I’ve found anywhere on the Algarve coast.
- Walk the walled old town, Cidade Velha – Compact and quiet, with orange trees and storks nesting overhead throughout the year.
- Visit Faro Cathedral – Climb the bell tower for a decent view over the rooftops and out toward the lagoon.
- Go birdwatching in the Ria Formosa Natural Park – Even a casual tour gives good odds of spotting flamingos and herons up close.
- Explore Ilha da Culatra – A small fishing community island, quieter and less developed than Ilha Deserta, worth the boat trip for a different pace.
- Browse the Faro Municipal Market – A good stop for fresh produce and seafood, and a look at everyday local life away from tourist spots.
- Walk along the marina at sunset – A relaxed way to end the day, with good views out toward the lagoon.
- Try a seafood cataplana near the old town – Fresh, well-priced, and a good introduction to the same dish you’ll find further along the Algarve.
- Take the train onward to Tavira or Lagos – Faro’s train connections make it an easy jumping-off point to explore both the eastern and western Algarve.
Where to Stay in Faro
- Cidade Velha (old town) – The most atmospheric option, walkable to the marina and cathedral, and a short walk from the boat tour departure points.
- Near the marina – Convenient for early boat departures out to the islands, and close to a good spread of restaurants.
- Baixa (city centre, outside the walls) – A practical, slightly cheaper base with good access to the train station and shops.
- Near Praia de Faro – Worth considering if you want beach access without a boat, though expect more airport noise here than elsewhere in town.
Getting Around Faro
Faro’s old town and marina area are small enough to cover entirely on foot, and that’s how I spent most of my time there across all three visits. For Praia de Faro, a short bus ride or a roughly twenty-minute walk over the bridge covers the distance, and I found the bus a better option in summer heat.
The train station puts Faro on the main Algarve line, which makes it easy to continue on to Lagos, Tavira, or other coastal towns without needing a car. For the islands themselves, you’ll need a boat, either a scheduled ferry or a private tour, since that’s the only way in. I never felt the need to rent a car while based in Faro itself, though one would be useful if you’re planning to explore inland towns further from the coast beyond what the train line covers.
Conclusion
So, is Faro worth visiting? On its own, as a multi-day destination, probably not; there simply isn’t enough packed into the town itself to justify a long stay. But as a base for the Ria Formosa, and as a smart, cheaper alternative to flying straight into the busier resort towns, it’s absolutely worth a night or two, and I’d argue it’s one of the more overlooked stops in the whole Algarve.
The boat trips out to Ilha Deserta and through the lagoon channels were genuinely some of the best things I did anywhere on Portugal’s south coast, and the old town’s quiet charm was a pleasant surprise on a trip I hadn’t planned around it. If you’re flying into Faro Airport anyway, don’t just transfer straight out. Give the city one or two nights, book a boat tour, and use it as a calmer start or end to a longer Algarve trip.